Mistakes Made, Possibilities Considered
by Sassmeister General
Summary: Takes place sometime post 6x19, but before the end of this season. A hefty serving of Cristina and Owen with a side of Meredith. Review if you are so moved.
1. Chapter 1

"You did this? This was all your fault?" Cristina hissed, her finger pointing towards the door of the on call room, towards some other part of the hospital where her fate was being decided.

Reflexively, Meredith took a step back from Cristina, shocked at how angry her best friend was with her. "I thought you would be happy about it. I thought you would want Teddy to leave. If she leaves, she won't be around Owen."

Cristina turned away from Meredith and took a deep breath to calm herself. She put her hand to her forehead and closed her eyes, thinking through what she wanted to say so she wouldn't regret her words later. After a moment, she turned back to Mer and spoke quietly.

"We have dealt with the Teddy issue. She is not a problem. And besides, she's started seeing Sloan."

"I saw Owen talking to Mark about Teddy. I think he is jealous."

Cristina laughed bitterly. "And why would you think that?"

"He was telling Mark that she's a nice girl. Not like the usual woman he sees. Owen was warning him off," Mer answered. She had never expected this kind of reaction from Cristina, and was still surprised at how angry Cristina felt.

"Why wouldn't he do that? She isn't like the average woman Sloan goes out with, is she? She's intelligent, age appropriate, can actually form words into a sentence…And the last time Owen heard anything about Mark's love life, it was that he had sex with three different women in one day. Three women he didn't know. In one day. That's just gross. So yes, he was talking to Mark, because Teddy is his friend, not to mention the fact that he probably doesn't want her to catch an STD. Did I like it? Not especially. Did I mind? Not as much as I mind Teddy staring at him with desperate puppy dog eyes all the time. But as for jealous--well, no. Owen isn't jealous. And if you had taken the time to talk to me about it first, you would know that we have worked out where Teddy fits into our lives, and that she is not an issue. Owen loves me. I know this, and so does Teddy. So everything was all taken care of until you butted in. And now she may lose her job and I'll be back to where I started—with no cardio god, no career, and no surgeries." Cristina took another deep breath and sighed, trying to slow her thoughts. She hadn't been this upset with Mer since their fight over a year ago when they had stopped talking. She was so angry right now that she feared that might happen again.

Unlike Cristina, Mer still didn't have complete confidence in Owen. She wondered how, after everything that happened, Cristina could be so trusting.

"But what about this new cardio guy?" Mer asked. "He's won the Avery, he's done amazing research—don't you want to give him a chance? I suggested to Derek he look outside the hospital for someone to do to this big experimental procedure he's so excited about with you in mind, because I knew you would impress whoever he chose for the surgery. And Derek's been talking about hiring more well-known attendings. He thinks that will help get our national ratings up."

"Is that what he thinks? What does he think it will look like when he fires Teddy and the hospital will have gone through four Heads of Cardio in three years? How does he think that will look?" Cristina started pacing in front of the bed, fuming. "Derek's an idiot."

"He is not an idiot," Meredith answered, weakly defending her post-it groom. "And it's not as bad as that. Dixon doesn't count. She was only here a few weeks."

"She counts," Cristina sputtered furiously. "But you don't get it. You've got the Chief mentoring you, you're fake married to the Head of Surgery. You have nothing to worry about. But me, I seem to drive away Cardio Gods. They keep leaving, and I'm stuck here spending all my time fighting to get any surgery, much less to get my hands on a heart. Teddy is the first person who stayed because she wants to teach me. She believes in me, and wants to help me be great."

"How do you know it won't be the same with Dr. Evans?"

"Yesterday, there was a routine bypass, and he chose Jackson to assist. You want to know why? Because he looked at the charts and saw that I had done most of the cardio surgeries with Teddy in the past two weeks. He was all, 'I don't play favorites, we have to spread the learning around, everyone gets a spot on the rotation' and whatever. Most people would have looked at that and thought, hmmm, she's done all these surgeries, she must be the best. But no, that's not how he thinks. He thinks, let's be fair and give someone else a turn. I don't want to be fair. I am the best and I want to be picked every time because I'm the best. It's obvious I'm not going to get the kind of surgeries and teaching from him that I've been getting from Teddy. So if it takes me putting up with her looking at Owen all googly-eyed and unringing bells, that's fine, because she's great and I am learning and the surgeries are fantastic. If she wants to stick around and date the manwhore, more power to her, because I have everything I need. Or I did, until you interfered."

Meredith sat on the bed. "So you're okay with Teddy looking at Owen all googly eyed? What if Owen is looking at her the same way?"

Cristina stopped mid-pace, turned and stared at Meredith, her eyes narrowing. "Are you kidding me?" She asked. "Did you hear anything I just said?"

Meredith opened her mouth to speak, but Cristina put her hand up to stop her.

"Don't. Don't say anything. Just…" Cristina waved her hand in the air as if to clear away all the nonsense Mer had created. She turned and opened the door to leave. "I can't talk to you right now," she said, and left, slamming the door behind her.

Meredith sat there for a moment, stunned at how wrong her grand plan had gone. She still didn't see how getting rid of Teddy could be a bad thing, but maybe Cristina was right, and Owen wasn't acting jealously like she thought. There was really only one way to find out. She left the on call room and headed down towards the Pit.


	2. Chapter 2

There didn't seem to be much happening in the ER. Meredith stood in the doorway and watched Owen as he moved from patient to patient, talking to a teenaged girl about her broken arm, then to a young mother whose toddler had shoved a penny up his nose. He stepped over to the nurse's station, and chatted with Karev while he filled out some charts.

"Dr. Hunt," Meredith called out. "Can I get a consult?" She stepped into an empty exam room. Owen entered the room a moment later.

"Dr. Grey, how can I help you?" He asked genially, yet slightly formally. He and Mer had been cordial and polite with one another since the conversation where she had told him they weren't a team. As far as he was concerned, they were the two people in the world who loved Cristina the most, and that instantly made them a team; he was surprised and hurt by Mer's immediate rejection. He knew that after all that had happened between Cristina and him, Meredith was still somewhat wary of Owen's presence in Cristina's life, and rightly so, considering his formidable issues. He hadn't realized until that moment to what extent she was distrustful.

Meredith stood before Owen, sizing him up as her equal opponent. "Dr. Hunt, why did you ask Dr. Altman to come work here?"

Owen stepped back, surprised at the question. Then he realized Mer didn't have a file or chart, and realized this wouldn't be the kind of consult he expected.

"I asked her here because she's an excellent surgeon and I knew she could teach Cristina. Why do you think I asked her here?" He countered.

"I don't know why, but whatever it is, I'm not sure it was good for Cristina."

"No, I suppose having Cristina constantly upset and depressed because she was never allowed to work cardio was a better option," he replied sarcastically, crossing his arms. "Not that my relationship with Dr. Altman, or Cristina, for that matter, is your business."

"It is my business. Cristina is my person. I watch out for her."

"Really? Were you watching out for her when you convinced Derek to invite Dr. Evans without talking to her first?" Owen questioned, trying to restrain his anger at this interrogation. "Yes, I know about that. Derek mentioned it earlier. Maybe you should have asked her opinion before you did something that could so drastically affect her residency."

"I thought I was helping," she muttered.

"I know you did," he replied, more gently than she expected. "I thought the same thing when I asked Dr. Altman to come. That certainly didn't turn out the way I thought it would. Maybe we both made the same mistake."

Meredith eyed him suspiciously. "So then you don't have feelings for Dr. Altman?" She crossed her arms, waiting for him to fess up.

Owen sighed. Meredith was stubborn, that was for sure, but he figured it would be easier for everyone if they got it all out in the open. Besides, that was something he had been working on in therapy: talking things out and releasing his emotions. Resolving the conflict between him and Meredith would be a good step in continuing his path of learning to communicate more.

"I did have feelings for her," he began, as Mer stared him down crossly. "I did, but that was long ago, and far off, when I was in Iraq. There was nothing ever between us, although I thought for a time there might be. Then, things changed for us. I think they even started changing while we were still over there." He was looking at Meredith as he spoke, but he wasn't really seeing her anymore, his mind now focusing on Iraq. Meredith watched as he turned inward into his own thoughts, and seemed to forget she was there, listening, as he went on. "So many things happened, especially towards the end of my last tour. And I…" he paused for a moment, blinked, and appeared to come back to the immediate conversation. "And I came here and met Cristina, and that was it. I never thought of Teddy in the same way again."

Mer tilted her head, skeptical. "So when you came to work here and met Cristina, you forgot all about Teddy."

"No, not then. Before that. The night of the accident. When Cristina got stabbed by the icicle. That's when I knew."

"The night of Cristina's icicle? What could you have known? You only met her that one night."

"I knew. I didn't admit it for a long time, but I knew somewhere in the back of my mind that I came and took this job here to be with Cristina. That I loved her from day one."

Meredith listened in disbelief. She went to speak, and then closed her mouth again, considering. After a moment, her intentions wavering, she sturdied herself in response.

"That's ridiculous. There's no such thing as love at first sight."

Owen smiled shyly and nodded. "And I would have been the first person to agree with you. Until it happened to me."

Mer stood for a moment, taking in this crazy revelation. She turned and walked around the exam room, thinking. Did Cristina know this about Owen? That he thought he loved her from that first night when he pulled the icicle out of her? Was this part of why Cristina had fallen in love with him so deeply that she was willing to deal with all of the baggage he brought to their relationship?

Was it love at first sight for Cristina, too? If it had been, she knew Cristina would never admit it.

Owen's voice broke her concentration. "Meredith, I know you think you're protecting Cristina, and trying to do right by her," he said. "You have been Cristina's person for a long time. But you need to realize that Cristina now has two people. You and me. We both love her. We both want the best for her. We should be working together, and not arguing about how best to support her."

If there had been a way to stun Meredith into silence, Owen certainly found it. She stood quietly, surprised at the thought of Owen becoming Cristina's person, too.

"If you absolutely need to know, Dr. Altman has been one of my closest friends for a long time, now. We've been through a lot together, and she will continue to be my friend. But I love Cristina, and I always will. As far as I'm concerned, there is no possible way she could come between Cristina and me." He turned to leave, and then turned back, as if he had forgotten something. "I know you thought I was jealous when I spoke to Sloan about her, and maybe I was being overly protective, but that's all it was. I was just watching out for a friend. Like you're doing right now."

Mer's silence continued. Owen hoped he was getting through to her, and decided to give it one last try.

"Meredith, I want us to be friends, for Cristina's sake, and for ours. I like you, even if these good intentions of yours with Dr. Evans have caused some difficulty for Cristina, because I know you did it out of love for her. But I can't keep on having to prove my love for Cristina to you or to anyone else but Cristina. At some point, you're going to have to believe that I'm in love with her, and accept that I will be a factor in her life until she tells me I'm not."

With that, Owen left, heading back to Karev, who gestured towards a patient coming through the doors on a gurney.

Meredith stayed in the exam room a few minutes longer before she exited and walked to the elevator. She knew she had some things she needed to say to Cristina, and hoped that Cristina had cooled down enough to listen. She pressed the up button and waited anxiously, hoping she hadn't damaged their relationship permanently.


	3. Chapter 3

Owen jogged down the stairs towards the boiler room, eagerly anticipating the few moments he and Cristina were hoping to steal on the Vent before one of them was called away. The Pit had been slow all day, and he was bored; he jumped at the chance to meet up with her when she texted. He told Karev to page him if anything big came in, and left.

Cristina had been in surgery with Bailey the last few hours, and with Callie before that. Despite not being on a cardio rotation, her services were still in demand, and she found that a little reassuring. Still, it was a disappointing day compared to the recent weeks spent on Teddy's service. Obstructed bowels and inflamed gall bladders didn't compare to the feeling of holding a heart in her hands. She came down to the Vent hoping to clear her head, and talk to Owen. To vent on the Vent, so to speak.

She was facing away from him when he arrived. At the sound of the creaking door, she turned to greet him, but before she could say anything, he swept her up in a deep kiss, his arms wrapping tightly around her. After a moment of surprise, she snaked a hand up into his unruly hair and pulled him down towards her, sucking on his bottom lip before letting his tongue swirl back into her mouth. Kissing passionately, they both stumbled slightly, losing their balance, their lips breaking apart. Owen grabbed around her tighter with his left arm while he reached his right hand up to the wall to brace them from falling. They both laughed, and pulled away enough to look into each other's eyes.

"Hi," he said, smiling at her.

"Hi," she responded breathlessly. She reached up and kissed him again, this time less frantically, and he responded in kind. Later, when they separated to catch a breath, she pushed him away slightly. "Stop distracting me. You make me forget what I was going to tell you."

He laughed and leaned towards her. "It must not have been that important if you forgot so easily," he whispered into her ear before running his tongue along the edge of her earlobe. She gave an involuntary shiver of pleasure as she instinctively tilted her head to give him better access. He trailed light kisses down towards the neckline of her scrub top, and heard her breath quicken. Suddenly, he felt her small hands come up to his shoulders and push him back.

"Wait, stop. Talking first, then messing around. Like Dr. Wyatt said." Cristina leaned back in Owen's embrace as far out of reach as she could get without breaking away from him. They looked at each other for a moment, and then both smiled.

"Okay," he said, "you're right. Talking first. Although I don't think that's exactly as Dr. Wyatt phrased it."

"Whatever. You know what I mean."

"I know," he answered, tucking the stray curl that escaped from her messy ponytail behind her ear. He kissed her on the forehead and released her from his hold. "What's up?"

Her lovely face faltered into a frown. "I'm not going to scrub in on the surgery. Dr. Evans didn't pick me."

Tom Evans was a renowned cardiothoracic surgeon who Derek had asked to Seattle Grace to do an artificial heart transplant with a new, experimental device. Derek believed that the press from the pioneering procedure performed by a famous surgeon, one who he also hoped would join their staff, would help put the hospital back on the map as a competitive teaching hospital, possibly vaulting them back into the top 10 ranked facilities.

"What?" Owen exclaimed, shocked. "Why?"

"You know how I told you how he said that he wanted to assign residents equally so that no one got more OR time, and then he chose Jackson for the bypass the other day because I had been working with Teddy so much? Well, Evans decided he liked his work so much, he put him on the board to scrub in on the transplant. I'm sure it doesn't hurt that he's Harper Avery's grandson, either, considering the kind of press he and this surgery are going to get. I don't think I ever had a chance." Cristina sighed heavily. When she first heard the news, she took herself off to an empty on call room, and cried. Constantly being on Teddy's service had been a welcome respite from that feeling of being ignored that she had suffered with for so long. Now, with Teddy's job in peril, she was terrified that the oppressive and perpetual sense of being invisible and unwanted would return.

"That's ridiculous. He doesn't know what he's missing, not having you in that operating room," he ranted. She continued to stare down at the ground, afraid she would start to cry again. He gently took her hand in his and held it. They stood quietly for a moment before he spoke again. "Do you want me to talk to Derek about it? I will, if you want me to."

Cristina glanced up sharply. "No. Don't talk to Derek. I'll deal with it. I don't want you running to the Head of Surgery complaining about your girlfriend not getting her pick of surgeries." She took her hand from his and ran it through her hair. "Besides, I had an argument with Meredith about Evans. I don't want to deal with either one of them right now. Not until I figure out what to do."

So that was it, Owen thought. Cristina and Meredith had fought. Maybe that was what had brought on Meredith's interrogation.

"So what do you want to do?" He asked.

"I don't know," she replied, truthfully. "I don't know what to do. If Teddy goes…I can't go through that again. I can't be shoved aside by a teacher who won't teach me again. I can't do it."

"So don't," he answered, matter of factly. "You don't have to. You have options."

She looked into his dark blue eyes, not sure what he was getting at. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," he looked around the room, trying to find the right words. "I mean, it's too early to make any decisions about what you want to do before we know how this all plays out. I will fight for Teddy to stay all I can, if that's what you want. But you're good. You're better than good—you're great, and any hospital would be lucky to have you. You may need to think about leaving to get what you want. What you need." He took both her hands back in his. "You may need to leave Seattle. You have options."

"Leave Seattle?" She said, waving him off and laughing. "I can't leave here. That's crazy!"

"Why? Why is that crazy?"

She stared at him. "I can't just…leave? That's…No, I can't. That's just…no."

"Cristina, you need to consider it. If you're not getting the education you deserve, we can go anywhere else. You need to put all the options on the table."

"We?"

"What?"

"We. You said we can go anywhere. What do you mean, we?" She stepped closer to him, her heart pounding. She knew what he meant, but she wanted to make sure he knew what he was saying.

He considered her, not sure what she didn't understand. "I mean we can go anywhere you want. We're not tied to Seattle. I can do my job anywhere. We don't have to stay here if you're not happy." Then it dawned on him. What if she didn't want him to go with her? What if she decided she needed a fresh start, a clean slate? A troubled expression flickered across his face; he hoped desperately that wasn't the case. "I mean, if you want me to go, I'll go with you. I will go anywhere to be with you."

She was silent for a moment, thinking of the possibilities.

"But your therapy. What about therap—"

"I can do therapy anywhere."

She narrowed her eyes, and looked at him skeptically. "And your mom? She—"

"My mom wants me to be happy. You make me happy."

Cristina looked at him, incredulous. "You would leave everything? For me?"

"Of course," he answered, immediately.

She stepped back and started pacing in front of him, deep in thought, periodically glancing up to see if his expression gave away any hint of regret at his offer. He waited patiently as she sized up the situation. Finally, she stopped in front of him.

"Cleveland Clinic has a good program."

"They do."

"So does Mass Gen." She began to get the glint in her eye that he loved so, that excited, giddy expression that kept him so devoted to her. She was starting to realize that she might not have to choose between the things that made her happy.

"I like Massachusetts," he answered, grinning at her.

Cristina quickly stepped forward, grabbed his head in her hands, and pulled him down to her, crushing his lips against hers. He wrapped one arm around her, and ran his other hand through her curls. How he loved her curls.

The kiss broke, and she leaned against him in his embrace, thinking.  
"Okay," she said with a confidence he had not heard from her in some time. "I will consider all my options," she said.

"Good," he answered, leaning down and kissing the top of her head.

They stood quietly, enjoying a few more stolen moments before they would have to part from each other's embrace.

"I had a talk with Meredith today," Owen said, leaning back far enough to see Cristina's face without letting her go. She looked up at him with a frown.

"You, too? What, does she want Derek to hire another Head of Trauma, too?"

He smiled. "She didn't bring it up. Don't say anything and give her any ideas."

"Ha. What did she want?"

"She's checking up on me. I think she thinks I'm not being honest with you. She's very protective."

"Being honest about what?"

"Teddy."

"Oh." Cristina stepped back and out of Owen's arms. He frowned.

"You don't believe that, do you? That I'm not being honest with you?"

Cristina looked up quickly. "No, of course not. It's not that at all. Teddy is…I'm not worried about Teddy anymore. It's just…It's Mer…I don't know how to get her to get it. That I'm with you, and that we're not breaking up. Plus," she said, putting her hands on her hips, "this whole Evans thing. I'm really pissed about it. This is her fault."

"It is her fault," he repeated. "But while she went about it the entirely wrong way, she was trying to do something nice for you."

"You're defending her?"

"Let's just say I've made the same mistake and she's probably regretting her actions."

Cristina gave him a strange look, but didn't reply.

"You should talk to her, though."

"She should talk to me. She started it."

"You're both stubborn. You know that, don't you?"

"Not stubborn. Determined."

He chuckled. "Okay. Determined. But you two should still talk and straighten this out before it turns into something bigger."

"Maybe," she muttered. Suddenly, Owen's pager went off. He looked at it, and then back to her.

"I've got to go. Ambulance coming in." He leaned down and gave her a swift kiss. "Think about it. You should talk to her."

"MmmHmm."

He kissed her again lightly and then headed out the door in a hurry.

"She should talk to me," Cristina repeated to herself, alone in the empty room.


	4. Chapter 4

Cristina stirred her drink, absentmindedly. Joe's was busy enough, but not so busy that she hadn't noticed Meredith sitting at the bar, watching her. Or more likely, trying to burn a hole through her with her stare, she imagined.

"Drinking alone, I see," Owen said, tossing his jacket over the back of the chair and sitting down next to her.

Cristina looked up at him, her face breaking into a sly smile. "Not now that you're here," she purred, as he leaned into her for a kiss. They kissed lightly, and then he moved his mouth to her ear. "Sorry I'm late," he whispered, his lips gently brushing against her as he spoke. His hot breath sent a tingling sensation throughout her, and she turned towards him to kiss him again. The palpable attraction between them was like a magnet to metal, but they separated themselves after a moment, not wanting to make a scene in the bar.

"Looks like I've got some catching up to do," he said, tapping her empty glass against a second sitting next to it.

"Yes, you do. Get on it. My adorable factor increases exponentially when you've had a few beers."

He laughed, but made no move towards the bar. "I noticed Meredith is here. Did you talk to her?"

Cristina sat back in her chair, annoyed that he was changing the subject. She didn't want to discuss Meredith. She wanted to get drunk, and then go home and have amazing sex with Owen. And she had been contemplating skipping the drunk part and going straight to the sex part; she was still in a good mood from their talk earlier, and the realization that she didn't have to take her situation lying down. There were possibilities she hadn't considered, possibilities that included Owen in a potentially more permanent way. It was scary, but it was exciting, too.

"No, I did not talk to her."

"You should."

"I can't. I'm too busy actively ignoring her." She leaned forward and sipped the last of her drink.

Owen frowned. He remembered the last time Cristina and Meredith had fought, when they stopped speaking to one another. It had been in the early stages of his and Cristina's relationship, when he had been pursuing her, maybe even before he actually realized that was what he was doing. But even then, he could see that without Mer, part of Cristina was lost. He didn't want that to happen to her again.

Cristina sighed. This night was not going the way she wanted. She folded her arms and looked at him.

***

Meredith sat at the bar, trying to work up the gumption to go talk to Cristina. Or at least, that's how she put it to herself. But really, she just wanted to have a drink in her before she went over and straightened things out with her best friend. Her earlier certainty about her part in messing with Cristina's cardio situation had morphed into concern that she had done more damage than good. And looking at the couple with fresh eyes and a new perspective, this belief was supported by the scene in front of her.

She had seen Owen come into Joe's, and watched as he quickly glanced around the room, searching for Cristina. For a moment, their eyes met, and he nodded towards her politely in recognition. Then, when he spotted Cristina, Mer caught a glimpse of a quick smile as he hurried to her. What amazed Meredith the most as she observed the scene, was how, when they saw each other, it was as if no one else existed; they could be in an empty room or a sold out stadium, and they would still only have eyes for one another. A combination of relief, joy, and lust colored their expressions, but there was something else, there, too. As she watched the two of them, greeting each other, kissing, talking intently to one another, Meredith realized that she had never really observed them together. Her perception of Owen and Cristina's relationship was based more on the bits and pieces that Cristina told her, and what she observed from each individually. At this moment, studying them as they interacted, seeing how their faces lit up at the moment they saw one another, she finally grasped what exactly it was that she was watching—it was love. Not just affection or attraction, but something deeper and far more abiding that what she expected. Suddenly, Meredith felt even more foolish. She wondered how she could have been blind to something so naked, so obvious, before now.

Mer was still gazing across the room at them when Derek appeared and sat down on the barstool beside her.

"You should talk to her," he said, leaning over and kissing her on the cheek.

"I know," she said. "I'm just getting up the nerve to do it."

Derek waved to Joe and signaled for a beer. "If it helps any, I'm not that impressed so far with Evans. You can tell Cristina I said that."

She smiled, and looked back towards the table again.

"Go," Derek said, encouragingly.

She nodded at him and slipped off the stool.

***

Cristina saw Mer coming their way, and sucked in a breath. She didn't want to have this out now, but it looked like it was going to happen anyway.

"Umm…Can I talk to you for a moment? Privately?" Mer asked, glancing at Owen out of the corner of her eye.

Owen looked at Meredith, and then Cristina. "I'm going to get a beer," he said, getting up to leave before Cristina could say anything.

"Thanks," Meredith said quietly as he passed. He nodded and continued towards the bar.

Cristina watched Owen go, and then turned to Mer, waiting silently. She wasn't going to start this conversation, since she didn't start the problem in the first place.

Mer sat down and put her drink on the table. "I should have talked to you before I did it. I see that now."

"Yeah, you should have."

"I guess I didn't…I just didn't realize how serious Owen was. About you, I mean. Not that I thought you weren't serious, but I just…I guess I never saw it. I thought he brought Teddy here for more than what he said, and I didn't get it," Mer explained. "But I get it now."

"It might be too late now," Cristina replied. She wasn't going to make this any easier on Mer.

"I know."

"I don't think you do. I may have to leave Seattle."

***

Owen sat down next to Derek and ordered a beer. When Joe put the pint before him, he lifted it to his lips and took a long drink. Then he turned to Derek and spoke.

"Teddy's a great surgeon. If you lose her, you'll regret it. The hospital will regret it."

Derek nodded, but didn't say anything. He took another sip. They sat for a few minutes, thinking, until finally Derek spoke.

"I want to hire Cristina as an attending." Owen looked up at him, confused. "I mean, if I'm still doing this job when she's ready, I want to hire her. I wanted to bring in someone famous to keep her interested so that she stays and does her training here, and isn't eventually lured away by a cardio fellowship somewhere else. She's going to be phenomenal, and I wanted to try to lay a foundation to keep her here." Derek turned on the barstool towards Owen and gestured with his drink to the table across the room where the women sat. "Besides, they're a team. Meredith would be miserable without her. And Cristina would feel the same way without Meredith. "

Owen looked at Derek. "That's one thing you're right about," he answered, taking another drink.

***

"What do you mean, you're leaving?" Meredith exclaimed, slamming her empty glass on the tray as the waitress put down two more full drinks.

"Don't get worked up. I'm not leaving. At least, not yet, anyway. We'll see how this works out with Teddy and Evans, and if I'm not happy, Owen and I will go somewhere where I can get more surgeries and more training."

"You and Owen?"

"Mmmhmm," Cristina murmured into her drink.

Meredith sat back in the chair, paused to think for a moment, and then took a big swig of her drink. "He's the one."

"What?" Cristina asked, confused. She was on her third, or was it fourth, drink, and she was starting to have trouble connecting her thoughts.

"He's the one, isn't he? Owen. The One. He's it for you."

Cristina looked back down into her drink, feeling slightly embarrassed for some reason. "Maybe," she said softly.

Meredith smiled widely. "You're going to get married and have little red haired GI Joe's aren't you? Or you might have girls. What would they be? Combat Barbies?!"

"Shut up," Cristina answered, still looking into her drink, trying to hide the half smile that flickered across her face.

"I'm sorry," Mer answered, suddenly serious. "All this time, I didn't realize. I don't know why, but I never saw it. I thought it was just a…I don't know…a thing. You know? We don't talk about it much, and I didn't know how serious you were. You are. Both of you. I mean, I guess I thought you were in love, but I didn't know it was serious love, like get married and have babies and grow old together love. But it is, isn't it?"

Cristina finally looked up from her drink. "Yeah. It is," she said, smiling.

***

"Uh oh," Derek said.

Owen turned towards Cristina and Meredith in time to see both do a shot of tequila. He chuckled. "Is that a good or a bad sign?"

Derek smiled. "I don't know. Either way, here comes trouble."

***

Two tequila shots later, Owen and Derek made a move to the table in hopes of intercepting the waitress, who had been told to return with the bottle the next time she brought a round. They stopped beside the table as Cristina and Meredith sat giggling, not even sure what was so funny in the first place.

"Hello, husband," Mer slurred. Derek laughed.

"Hello. Looks like things are going well here."

"McDreamy," Cristina mumbled, as Owen sat down next to her. "Your wife is McDrunk."

"I see that," he replied, amused. He turned to Mer. "I was thinking it was time to take my mcdrunk wife home."

Meredith looked at Cristina, wobbling a bit. "Are we good?"

"Go," Cristina answered, waving her away.

"Okay," she said, standing up carefully and grabbing Derek's hand. "Goodnight, Owen," she said. "Make sure she gets home okay." Their eyes met, and even through her alcoholic haze, there was a brief moment of clarity and understanding between them; he could tell right then that their relationship had changed, and that she understood that she was no longer the only one looking out for Cristina. He nodded, and reached over to take Cristina's hand.

"I will," he said.

Derek waved to Owen, and put his arm around Meredith to steady her as they left the bar. Owen turned his attentions towards Cristina.

"So everything's fine now? You're okay?"

She nodded. "Everything's fine," she repeated. She leaned against him and put her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her, and she sighed heavily.

He glanced down to her. "What?"

"I hope we don't have to leave. I like it here."

"I know," he said, kissing her on her temple. "But we could always come back. It doesn't have to be permanent. I think one day you'll have some opportunities here you won't want to turn down."

Cristina sat up, and regarded him suspiciously. She twisted towards him. "What are you saying?"

"I'm not saying anything."

She narrowed her eyes. "You know something."

"I know lots of things," he said, grinning, and leaned forward to kiss her. She leaned back, out of his reach.

"Tell me," she demanded.

He laughed. "There's nothing to tell. I just think one day you'll be a great cardiothoracic surgeon, and your skills will be in demand, and you'll have many opportunities. You'll know which one is right for you."

She frowned, wary. Suddenly, her expression changed, as if a light bulb had turned on over her head.

"I know that look. You're not getting anything out of me," he said, laughing more.

She leaned in close. "Not even when I do this?" She asked, kissing him.

"Nope. But you can keep doing that. I like it."

"What about this?" She nuzzled into his neck, and then surprised him by taking his earlobe in her mouth. She heard his sharp intake of breath, and smiled to herself.

"I like that, too," he whispered, "but it's not working."

"Let me try this," she said, sliding her hand up his thigh. Now that is working, he thought momentarily. He caught her hand just in time, turned and kissed her deeply.

"Let's go home," he replied breathlessly. "I want to take you home. Now."

They looked at each other for a moment, and then quickly stood at the same time. Cristina stumbled slightly, and Owen grabbed her.

"You're drunk," he said.

"I know," she answered. "But I'm happy. I'm drunk and happy." Cristina stopped for a moment. "You make me happy." She said to him, as if it were a surprise; in a way, it was. It was the first moment she realized she could be truly happy anywhere, as long as she was with Owen. Suddenly, it was as if the day's disappointments had vanished, and everything seemed right with her world.

Owen kissed Cristina once more, and then wrapped an arm tightly around her; she leaned into him, and sighed contentedly. They made their way out the door and slowly walked home, a place that could be anywhere, as long as they were together.


End file.
